wooty

I wonder if any locals have ever been charged with facilitating child sex. I'm not saying that there are no foreign pedophiles. But here in Thailand it always looks like the foreigners are to blame while locals do a lot more but its never really publicized. While if a foreigner is caught his picture comes in the newspaper.

And im with the other poster that this is just an other NGO who with (probably inflated) figures is trying to get some money to pay their exorbitant salaries. Currently in Holland your a pedophile when you look at a picture of a 17yo nude while not so long ago this was perfectly legal. The true definition of pedophile is totally different.

YES they are ! only last year the volunteer Brisbane based organisation "The Grey Man" tracked the Thai owners of an orphanage who were operating in the juvenile sex trade.

When enough evidence was collected. The orphanage was raided in co-operation with special Thai police and the owners arrested and convicted. So congratulations to THE GREY MAN of Brisbane.

The Grey Man operates in a grey zone and is a rather shady organization. Just read the entries in some other bloggs. Apparently they operate in Thailand independently, organizing their own witch-hunts. Their so called "evidence" does not stand up in any court, but shared with the locals is a good argument for threats and extortion. Some bloggers also point out that "The Grey Man" tout their catches on their website before an judge saw the "evidence", and they operate mainly in order to generate donations. Some NGO execs pay themselves salaries, contributions or allowences up to $ 200'000 for their heroic acts of saving the fair maiden in a far far away country, totally disregarding the crime taking place in their own backyard. Seems to be easier to play gang-ho in Thailand. That is not surprising as they seem to be part of the local "tea money" gang. It is a sad truth that many NGOs started out on high moral grounds and now are part of a corrupt system. So can you trust the NGOs or the Grey Man? Not one bit! The exploitation of children has many faces and is a well diversified business for all parties involved. Except for the children.

Bloggers here are so opinionated. Do you remember the famous line from a Clint Eastwood movie? Opinions are like <deleted>: everybody has got one.

Wooty, that is one thing that blogs are for, sharing ones opinions. This is exactly what you are doing yourself as well, for It seems to me that f.i. you, are pretty opinionated about the bloggers on this site.

You are so right. Thank you for your lecture. I just thought that the topic of child abuse is somewhat more differentiated than some of the opinions shared here might evoke. For starters: How long is a child a child? The age range of child protection is rather wide and goes from birth to 21 in more Western civilized countries, and other civilizations define it by marital status only while disregarding age totally. The Western definition of a pedophile comprises contacts with children in pre-puberty, so again no clear age definition. The media tend to expand the age of protection up to 21 (extraterritorial application of US law) because sex scandals sell. The law enforcement agencies range from strict enforcement of local law to tolerating the business up to being deeply involved. And the NGOs discovered the market and "find" and "disclose" criminal foreigners - never locals - in a happy hunting chase before they are proven guilty in a court of law in order to push their case and help with fundraising; and welcome to the open market of coerction and extortion by the "good" guys. Its a little bit like women divorcing their husbands and crying child abuse! in order to get a better deal.

So, I still think everybody has an opinion.

Bloggers here are so opinionated. Do you remember the famous line from a Clint Eastwood movie? Opinions are like <deleted>: everybody has got one.

"we are not trying to stamp out prostitution"

Is President Mr. John Curtis aware that prositution is actually illegal here in the first place????

This is all just an event for some group to get some press about what a bang up job they are doing to rid Thailand of this horrible crime. Arresting three 15 year old prostitutes is laughable. I could have done that in 15 minutes of walking out of my apartment door. I wonder how long they "investigated" the situation first.

http://thegreyman.org/blog/

Read this before you pass any further judgment on there work.It saddens me no end, to hear comments like this from expatriates living in Thailand.There investigations into underage sex rings in Cambodia,Burma,Laos and Thailand,are ongoing.they have my total support!!!

*************

Is this selfproclaimed charitable organisation here to fight crime, or are they in for the money? That would mean that they simply prey on the exploited children for their own monetary advantage. I would like to see some facts such as financial disclosures (amounts received, amount of salaries and other administrative costs, percent of donations spent directly to benefit their clients, etc.).

What do the Grey Men say about this? (http://www.ijm.org/r.../2009IRS990.pdf)

To their discredit, their staff salaries total $12.7 million USD, out of about $21.8 million in donations. Their top 10 officers average annual compensation of about $145,000 USD in 2009. . . nice pay for CHARITY and during the recession. The lowest compensation is $128,000, and the highest is about $233,000 annually. A total of 16 individuals in this organization recieved over $100k USD in compensation during 2009. They spent a meagre $192,000 on victim aftercare expenses in 2009.

So it seems to me a good idea for the Grey Men to hide behind their anonymity and expose supposed culprits by name. Who says that the Grey Men don't sell their info to the press and the highest bidder? What stops them from blackmail and extortion? They can't be taken to court: not in Thailand, because they "work" with the local police (and we all know what that means...), and not in Australia because they hide behind fictitious names. They put themselves outside the law, put on the noble mantle of charity and ride for their own glory and profit. I admire their marketing stunt to get the Aussi TV to make a free commercial - sorry: three part "documentary" - that apparently triggered donators to spend USD 21.8 mio where a meagre USD 192'000 might arrive at the victims level. There is a small line between charity and bravery on the one side, and froaud corruption, blackmail and extortion on the other.

It is sad that this terrible topic is being used by private and self-declared "humanitarian" organisations to make money. The Grey Man Charity itself stays anonymous, but claims to work with the Thai police. Did you know that they have their annual fund-raiser event coming up in a couple of week? Don't you find it odd that they tout their involvement in a Thai undercover-operation just now? Just a coincidence? What about if they sell their film material for money? How true are their claims? How come they are allowed to work whithin a supposedly highly corrupted system? How are they being financed? And how do they buy their way into the Thai crime business? Why does this Australian organisation not help the cause of the Aborigines? This "humanitarian" stuff smells of a very fishy business. Jumping on the human-trafficking bandwagon just to get some fake glory and to make money does not help the real victims at all...

Thanx, Maizefarmer, for your input. Is there also a market for used Kubota tractors? You mention Ford, and I know that they are readily available. Does Kubota also have such a strong following? The need for a purchase will come up next year, so I have some time to look around.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Wooty (without a tractor...)

Hi folks

My Thai family started a small teakwood plantation in the Phrae province. After planting the trees, the fields need to be cleared of grass and undergrowth twice a year for the first few years until the trees outgrow gras and brush. We've done the cutting manually so far, however, it seems that a machine would be faster and in the long run also cheaper and more efficient, as the undergrowth rises quickly and high.

So we are thinking of buying a tractor that could do the cutting. The total size of the different land plots is about 300 rai, mostly even land, some uneven to slighlty hilly, but nothing steep.

Any recomendations with regard to a tractor

- new or used

- brand

- size

- price/primary investment

- maintenace and running costs

- reliable contacts or addresses (from Chiangmai to Phrae)

- your experience?

Your input is greatly appreciated!

Wooty, the farang

Wow! I am quite impressed by the wealth of information everyone is sharing here on simple old teak!

Let me first address the Panama connection. There is a big Swiss originated company called Precious Woods that started teak and other wood plantations in Panama, Costa Rica, and they also expanded to Brazil and Ghana in Africa and almost went belly up as teak wood plantation and Brasilian or African rain forest are two separate cups of tea, so to speak. But teak wood originated in Sout East Asia, as a matter of fact the Phrae province in Thailand is the very heart of it. So Thailand's hihglands are the perfect setting.

Then, on another subject: There is a newsletter out every month on global timber production and also prices that is very helpful can be of guidance to any producer or buyer. You can subscribe to it at [email protected] , and I quote from their web page:

"The ITTO Tropical Timber Market (TTM) Report, an output of the ITTO Market Information Service (MIS), is published in English every two weeks with the aim of improving transparency in the international tropical timber market. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of ITTO. News may be reprinted without charge provided that the ITTO TTM Report is credited. A copy of the publication should be sent to the editor."

Third subject: cutting license. You should be able to get one easily, all you have to do show your land papers, and you got to put up a sign on your plot of land where you wanna cut, that's all. Don't let some officials or whoever bully you into bribing them, it you do not steal from the government land or the rain forest, but harvest a sustainable crop, it is no problem at all. I had it figured out and checked by my Thai lawyer - shrewd fellow and VERY good! money well spent and worth every Satang - and it works. Well, a smile and a bottle of whisky always makes for good friends, hahaha!

I would appreciate it if you kept sharing your expernences and opinions. Looking forard to hearing from you again! Farang rak Thai!

Wooty

Hey Beardog

Thnx for your reply and your message. I got it, yes, with some delay. I am in Europe right now and will be back in December. I got plans for my plantation, it is half way done and a lot of work, and a lot of fun. I have a business plan and a harvest cicle. I do not go for maximum growth, but for sustainability and economic maximization. So harvesting in a 15 year cicle is looking good, matching groth rate with sale prices. The timber prices are set by the global market, and there is a newsletter anyone can subscribe to and get the latest prices on a monthly basis.

Looking forward to seeing any of you guys should you be in the neigbourhood. I am about 100 km East of Thak between Thak and Phrae; beautiful valley, I tell you, very scenic, and rather rural....

Wooty

Hey guys

I am going to set up a small teak wook plantation South of Chiangmai. Looks like a lucrative business once the wood can be harvested. Nevertheless, it is a long way to go. So is anyone out there who could share some experience and gimme advice? I would appreciate it!

Lookin' forward to hearing from you!

Wooty

I hope you guys beleive all that climate change hype! Al Gore has done a nice job with his little docu flic which is basically a political commercial. And everybody feeling important is jumping on that Hollywood bandwagon. "Serious Scientists"! Who is a serious scientist? There are renowned climatologists and physicists that do not see scientific evidence of a man-made climate change. The climate changes constantly, and not every deviation of an average is a sure sign of a climatic catastrophe. Remember the doomsday Club of Rome and their end of the world?

But let the wolfs howl and the politicans sell the story; they sell just about any story that buys them votes.

Now if any of you readers and condo-owners in Bangkok or in Thailand, should you be willing to buy the climate change-hype, then I would be willing to buy your condo. And as - in your view - this climate change is such a sure thing, you understand that I excpect an justifyable discount. Well, Bangkok is going down the drain, and who is willing to invest in sewers these days...

Make me a flooded offer, and I will come up with the cash to buy you out!

Wooty the deviate

Good day folks,

I don't want to create further panic or so, but a long-term question for all investors and residence here in Thailand, who also want to stay here for good, for life-time (as I do) but want to see this city being fixed by it's problems (less traffic, less noise, more green, more parks etc.) and in the long-term mostly by FLOOD-PROBLEMS from the North as well from the South by the rising sea levels and wind and weather patterns shifting.

I bought an apartment last year in Bangkok, with all my savings. Now with this weather pattern change and major global warming (which is more and more to be proved by most serious scientists), mixed with I believe currently non counteracting politicians (for the long term flood problems) don't you guys it's best to sell any condominium or property here based in Bangkok and find a new place to put ones money?

I mean even Khun Smith who predicted the Tsunamie several years before it really happened, just recently said:

"That Bangkok will be under water in 20 years and the government is not listening"

Read here: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP41869.htm

Are you guys leaving your investments in the hands of those politicians, who mostly only think about themselves (shuffle money abroad and try to buy football clubs etc. ). Why nobody is listening to Khun Smith and really deal with this problem??

Now we will have floods already in May/June instead of September. How will Bangkok be in 5 years if noone is doing something, or not enough

than they are doing currently?

I.m really thinking about to sell my condo (if possible at all) again and go back to rent only, so the other money stay's not in flood disaester zone!

Long-term of course. I don't think it will be a big problem for people in the city in the next 5-10 years, but see already the problems the upcountry people have each year. I feel sorry for them, they mostly have to let the Chay Phraya River be releaved in order to protect mighty Bangkok but they then hve to life in yearly floods to save our heads here in the capital.

No other solution?

Is there anything at all politicians could do?

What are your opinions and long-term plans?

Love Bangkok and Thailand

Nice day

Andy

I am looking for a used and/or refurbished tractor with extras as I am about to clear some rais of land and get it ready for plantation. I heard that there is a guy or a company that refurbishes Ford tractors and resells them.

Can anyone provide some support and information on this! Your input is appreciated!

Wooty

Yes - I do - mostly Fords from Europe and Iseki and Kubota from Japan.

Prices range from Baht 2.9million (for NH 8960 with 980 on the block), down to around Bhat 90 000 for an old 2 wheel drive Iseki. All together 27 units in stock at the moment.

Just what are you trying to do and how large is the area you are trying to clear - you may well be better off hiring.

Let me know - advice costs nothing.

MF

I am looking for a used and/or refurbished tractor with extras as I am about to clear some rais of land and get it ready for plantation. I heard that there is a guy or a company that refurbishes Ford tractors and resells them.

Can anyone provide some support and information on this! Your input is appreciated!

Wooty

Ford 6600 with front blade, 3-disk & 7-disk harrowers: 450,000 baht. PM me if interested.

The machine sounds all right, however I was thinking of spending about 150-200'000 baht.

“Central Thailand” is quite lager, so please tell us, where you are, so that members Kan help you.

Yours truly,

Kan Win

I live in Wangchin in the province of Phrae, just South of Lampnag.

I am looking for a used and/or refurbished tractor with extras as I am about to clear some rais of land and get it ready for plantation. I heard that there is a guy or a company that refurbishes Ford tractors and resells them.

Can anyone provide some support and information on this! Your input is appreciated!

Wooty

I am looking for a tractor. I am about to clear several rai of land to get it ready for plantation. Where can I get quality and reliability ion a used tractor? I live in Wangchin, just South of Lampang. Your support is appreciated!

Wooty

knowing your budget would help a little

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up to 20'000 baht / month

I will be in Chiangmai for 3 months (Feb-April 2006) and I am looking for a decent place (even small house) with Western standars to stay. Anybody for ideas for how and where to find a 50-100 sqm condo or apartment?

Any suggestions welcome!

Wooty